Does the sluggish financial market make you feel unproductive because your work pace is slower than it was a year ago? Are you uncomfortable with the extra time on your hands after you’ve raced through to complete a project at the same speed you did when you had double the amount of work?

Speed has come to be a highly regarded quality in today’s world. The advancement of technology in the past few decades made possible instantaneous financial transactions at the speed of light while your client can be anywhere in the world. With this significant increase in the tempo of work follows intensified work pressure and stronger competition.

We are humans after all. There is only so much speed we can compress into our lives.

Is slowing down such a bad thing? All economies go through growth and slowdown, so do stock prices, real estate prices and commodity prices. The same can be observed in nature where growth slows down in fall and winter and accelerates again in spring and summer. When we are tired, a good rest is usually the only thing we need to reenergize us.

I was recently at Canada’s Wonderland and I watched a bunch of roller coasters in action. The fascinating concept about roller coasters is, other than the initial haul up the first slope, the rest of the ride is powered by the momentum generated on the way down. When you’re on the ride, it can be quite scary coming down. It is precisely during this downtrend when the roller coaster gathers momentum for the upturn.

I can appreciate that as a financial analyst, you’re probably a high achiever who have high expectations of yourself. Perhaps, some of the exceptionally demanding expectations you set on yourself are based on your perception of what may be other people’s expectation of you, e.g. that of your boss, your parents or your spouse.

Let me share the words of wisdom by Harry Lewis, Dean of Harvard University in a message he wrote his students in 2001: Slow Down: Getting More Out of Harvard by Doing Less. Surprised? Although his article is written for students, the principles can easily be adapted to your financial career and any area of your life for the matter. You will get more out of your life if you allow yourself more time and space to truly enjoy and experience the things you do.

Related video:
Slowing Down In A World Built For Speed

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